{Nursery Sneak Peek}

Violet is due to arrive in six weeks and her nursery is all ready for her now! Aside from washing things and actually having them in the drawers, I think I'm finished.  Of course, now there is plenty of time to clean the garage, organize the pantry, and detail my car. My poor husband...

There are a few special things about Violet's nursery that I thought I would share. If you remember This Post I did for Abigail, I have a friend that makes nursery paintings and I wanted to have one made for Violet's room.  I love that they both have something handmade from the same person.  

Emily did a fabulous job tying in the colors and details from my decor.  I absolutely love how it turned out!  Let me know if you need something special made for your nursery and I will pass along her info to you! 

Okay, the next special touch might be my favorite.  I decided I wanted to frame an old hymn for Violet and display it on her dresser.  Since we had hundreds of old hymnals in the basement of our new church, I knew I could find something that looked a little "vintage"! 

Mike and I chose " Be Thou My Vision" because the words are a beautiful testimony of our heart's desire for Violet. I can't wait to sing it over her when she is finally in my arms.  

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, and I Thy true child,

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, or man's empty praise,

Thou mine inheritance, now and always;

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,

May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

I had so much fun getting her room ready and giving old pieces of furniture new life! Thanks to Annie Sloan chalk paint, we spent very little money buying furniture and other than her crib, I painted everything in her room!  I forgot to take a before of the old rocking chair, but I picked it up one day from Our Thrift Store in Franklin for $20.  I painted it "old white" and distressed it to match the dresser.

The dresser was special y'all!  It needed someone to rescue it from an old junk store in Columbia, Tennessee and give it a little love!  Here is the before. 

Much better!  This is also painted "old white" and distressed with 120 grit sandpaper.  I got the drawer pulls at Hobby Lobby for 1$ each.  

The tall dresser was also given a makeover.  It was something Mike brought along with him from college so I think it will be sweet to tell Violet one day that her dresser once belonged to Daddy.  Thank goodness I could make it pretty for her!  Here is the before and after.  I used Annie Sloan's "duck egg blue" for this piece and also distressed with 120 grit sandpaper.  

My last nursery project was to pick out a crib and hang paper lanterns from the ceiling.  I decided on the Jenny Lind crib because it has a vintage look to it and I have so many friends that have used this crib with their precious ones.  I have to say it was super easy to put together and I think it's beautiful!  I did learn however, that it is not easy for an eight month pregnant lady to stand on a chair and hang paper lanterns by herself.  After too many holes in the ceiling and tired legs from climbing on and off the chair, I got smarter and asked my husband to help me! Thank goodness he loves me so much!

 

I hope to enjoy these last few weeks of being pregnant and not wish them away too quickly.  Thankfully, the weather has been beautiful and we have been able to enjoy watching Abigail run through open fields and play at the park in our neighborhood.  She has been rocking her baby and giving her plenty of kisses so I know she will be a great big sister!  

{Prayer}

Have you ever felt like your prayers were silly requests before a great and powerful God?  I have.  In fact, I feel like my prayer time should only consist of deep convictions and prayers for the lost.  I am actually more comfortable praying for my husband or my family or strangers that are struggling through a medical crisis.  Scripture teaches me; however, that God desires an intimate relationship with me and that I can cast all my cares on Him, and thankfully I was reminded of that today. 

Mike and I recently made the difficult decision to give our golden retriever, Bailey, to the Middle Tennessee Golden Retriever Rescue.  I can not begin to express to you how heart broken I have been over letting my first baby go to another home.  Bailey was a Christmas present from my dad the year I graduated from PT school.  He was the perfect companion for a single lady going through her "quarter life crisis!"  Until I met my husband, it was just me and Bailey.  He was there when I got up each morning, right by my side.  He was there every evening when I came home to a quiet empty house, ready to curl up near me for the evening.  He was a constant through tough break ups and painful trials with my family.  He was a gift and he was loyal. 

{ Christmas 2003}

My sweet Bailey was such a JOY and I have incredible memories from Memphis to Nashville that I will always cherish.  It makes me smile to think back to my first date with Mike.  Bailey was right by my side as I opened my front door and Mike's expression immediately turned to surprise as he looked down at my four legged friend.  I remember he reached down to pet Bailey on the head and then immediately asked if he could wash his hands.  I decided that this guy better love my dog if we were going to consider a second date!  

It didn't take long for Bailey to win Mike over and so we began our journey together as a little family of three.   A few years into our marriage, we decided to get Bailey a friend.  We brought Miller home three years ago and instantly Bailey let us know he was not happy about the hyper puppy chewing his toys! I thought it was the perfect idea before starting a family, but little did I know Bailey liked being the center of attention...

When Abigail came along, things went down hill pretty quickly.  Bailey's level of anxiety heightened.  He began to feel more and more replaced and ultimately isolated and depressed.  I hated seeing my sweet dog struggle so much with the changes in our home, but as the reality hit me that we were about to add another baby to our once quiet house, I decided we had to give Bailey a chance to enjoy his "golden years".   

I now know that pregnant women should never have to give their dog away.  I'm sure I would have been sad to walk Bailey out my door and hand him to another owner any day, but with my elevated hormonal state, it was a tragic day I will never forget.  I began to journal and cry out to God about my broken heart.  I felt so silly asking God to provide a good owner for Bailey and to give peace to my grieving heart.  But today, He reminded me that I am his daughter and He hears all my prayers.  

" See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. "  1 John 3:1

I read back over my journal entries this morning and God had answered all my prayers about Bailey.  They weren't silly requests to Him because he loves me and desires that I tell Him about all things weighing on my heart.  

As I was thanking God for providing such a wonderful home for Bailey, his new owner actually called me.  She told me how happy Bailey was on her sixty acre farm.  She laughed as she shared with me how he loves to watch the cattle, swim in her pond, roll around in the mud, and lay under the big oak tree near her house.  Just in the short time he has been in his new home, he has been able to stop taking anxiety medication.  He is happy and well loved, and my heart is at peace.  

So if you are like me, and you sometimes think God shouldn't be bothered with the silly things that make you cry, remember that He loves you deeply and when your heart hurts, His heart hurts.  Remember that He is the one who draws us close and comforts us.  Pour your heart out to Him and know that you are His child.  

{Bailey hanging out on the farm.  September 2013}

First Day {Mother's Day Out}

Today was a big day for Abigail.  It was her first day to attend Mother's Day Out!  I did pretty good holding back my tears most of the morning as Mike and I got ready for the day.  I made breakfast and packed her bag and remembered to take a few pictures.  It wasn't until I saw the clock and started feeling a little stressed to get out the door in time that my emotions got the best of me.  Just when I was starting to rush her through breakfast, my sweet baby girl crawled in my lap with a book and smiled at me.  I am so thankful for the interruption of my rigid schedule, because taking a moment to slow down and enjoy my daughter was exactly what I needed.  

Thankfully, Abigail didn't cry when I dropped her off and actually when I picked her up she wanted to keep playing.  Her teachers told me that she had a fabulous first day and that was exactly what my heart needed to hear!  I feel so blessed that I have been able to keep Abigail at home this long, but I am really excited for her to learn and explore with new friends!